Edwin a



'E. A! WOOD. BOIL R EEEDEE FOR STEAM ENGINES.

No. 29,028. Patented July 3, 1860.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDYVIN A.

WOOD, or UTIOA, NEW YORK.

BOILER-FEEDER FOR STEAM-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 29,028, dated July 3, 1860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN A. V000, of the city of Utica, in the county of Oneida and State of New York, have invented a new and useful improvement or attachment to' steam-boilers for the purpose of feeding the boiler and also of indicating when the pump or the hydrant has failed to perform its duty.

The nature of my invention consists in the regulating and controlling the pump or the hydrant and the alarm whistle by means of the height of the water in the boiler and by the expansion and pressure of steam. Various modes may be adopted by which this can be effectedr-The simplest, safest and the most economical mode will be to use a reservoir at a short distance from the boiler, but connected with it by two tubes or pipes, one of which tubes or pipes must enter the boiler at a point below low water mark of the boiler, and the other at a point above high water mark in the boiler; by means of which the lower part of the reservoir is always filled with water to the same level as the boiler; and the upper part of the reservoir with steam. On the top of the reservoir is a steam cylinder with a piston and piston rod. On the underside of the cap of the reservoir are openings for the steam to pass to the cylinder and the alarm whistle, which are covered by a common sliding valve, moved by a lever; which lever is moved by a hollow copper ball or float attached to the long arm of such lever; which ball or float rests'in the water of the reservoir. \Vhen the water in the boiler, and of course in the reservoir also, is of the proper height, the float rises which allows the lever to rise also and the valve with them which covers and closes both of the post holes or openings for the passage of steam to the cylinder and the alarm whistle. And when the water lowers in the boiler and of course in the reservoir, then the float sinks and by its weight, it draws down the lever and the valve attached thereto, and opens the port hole or opening to the passage of the steam from the boiler and reservoir to the cylinder and the expansion and pressure of the steam in the cylinder raises the piston rod; To the upper end of the piston rod, is attached a cord chain or strap, which, by passing under a pulley attached to or near the cylinder head, causes the belt shipper to pass the belt from the loose to the fast passage. ing the boiler the valve of the hydrant is pulley and thus put the pump shaft in motion, or open the valve of the hydrant. hen the boiler becomes filled to a proper level and of course the reservoir also, the float rises with it and of course causes the sliding valve to rise and cut off the steam to the cylinder. A counterweight attached to the other side of the belt shipper draws back the belt to the loose pulley and the pump stops, while the valve being hollow, in the usual form, allows the steam remaining in the cylinder to escape through the alarm whistle opening. The cylinder being small, and of course the quantity of steam remaining therein is small; and as it escapes gradually no alarm is sounded by the whistle in its If a hydrant is used for supplyopened by attaching the cord thereto, or by any other proper contrivance; and such valve is closed when the piston ceases to act on the cord, by a Weight or spring, or the pressure of the water of the hydrant. If the pump or the hydrant fails to perform its duty when the steam is let into the cylinder as hereinbefore described, the water in the boiler and reservoir of course becomes lower and the float and lever and valve descend lower, until the port hole or opening of the passage for the steam to the whistle is opened, when such alarm whistle is sounded. The length of the rods connecting the lever and the float determine the time when the pump or the hydrant valve must start and also the height of the water to be let into the boiler; and by varying the length of the rods, the water lines of the boiler and reservoir are also varied.

The following is a full and exact description of the said boiler feeder, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification, in which Figure l is a perspective view of the said boiler feeder; Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same, together with the mode of connecting the same withthe common belt shipper over the tight and loose pulleys for driving the pump; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the projection on the under side of the cap (half of the cap being removed) containing the valve seat, the port holes or opening therein and the sliding valve, together with the lever by which the same is moved. Fig. 4 on the second sheet, represents an enlarged perspective view of the said projection on the under side of the cap, containing the valve seat and the port holes or steam passages therein, the cap valve, and

lever being removed. Fig. 5 on the said second sheet is a perspective view of the said sliding valve, showing its under hollow surface. Fig. 6 onsaid secondsheetis a sectional view of the upper end of the steam .cylinder showing more fully the piston and the cap; E is the sliding valve; F is the port hole or openlng and F? the steam passage (marked by dotted lines) leading from the cylinder; F is the port hole or opening and F is the steam passage (marked by the dotted lines) leading from the valve seat to the alarm whistle and which last mentioned passage F also serves as the exhaust passage of the cylinder. I

G is the lever for moving the valve E; and is connected with such valve E by the stirrup or connecting rod H.

'I, I are two rods by which the float is suspended from the lever G; which rods are connected in the center by the movable coupling K, by means of which the height of the water in the boiler may be regulated; and L is the hollow copper ball or float.

The dotted line M, running across A and L, Fig. 2, is the level of the water in the reservoir, when the pump or hydrant com m'ences to act.

i N, is the cylinder; 0 is the piston; P P is the valve seat of said piston at the top of the cylinder; Q, is the iston rod; S the cord or chain connecting the top of the piston rod with the belt shipper.

T, is the pulley attached to the cylinder under which such chain or cord passes and -T another pulley over which the chain or cord passes; U is the belt shipper; V, V are the tight and loose pulleys for driving the pump and U is the shaft towhich the pump is attached by a crank or otherwise.

and passes over a pulley T and Y is the alarm whistle.

The reservoir A, and the hollow copper ball or float L may be in the usual form of similar contrivances for water gages and.

water indicators. The reservoir and cylinder must be of suflicient strength to resist the pressure of the steam of the boiler; and

. they may be of cast iron, brass or other suitable material. The reservoir may be cast in any shape and closed at the lower end, with X, is a counterweight to drawback the, shipper after the steam is cut off from a faucet for drawing off the water or cleaning out the sediment. The cap may be screwed on, or bolted on by means of flanges on it, andon the top of the reservoir, with the usual packing; the tubes B, B may be of the usual form and material of similar pipes or tubes used for water gages or inclicators. B must be connected with the boiler at a point below low water mark in the boiler and B at a point in the boiler above high water mark; by means of-which the water of the boiler passes freely into the reservoir at all times and will at all times remain at the same level therein, as in the boiler; but by reason of the reservoir being detached from the boiler and only connected by the tubes, the water in such reservoir will be more quiescent and will not be subject to ebullition' and foaming like the water in the boiler and hence perhaps the boiler feeder may operate with more certainty if-a reservoir is used, than if the cylinder and other parts were placed in and on the boiler itself. The upper tube B keeps the upper part of the reservoir supplied be attached to it in any way in which it may .be made tight and -secure and for the better arrangement of allthe parts should be placed at one side of the cap, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2. It is open at the top, but has'a valve seatP, P to which the upper side of the piston is fitted, as well to prevent the leaking of steam, as the piston from being driven outjof the cylinder by the steam.

The piston O and the piston rod; Q,-ar,e in the usual form, except, as stated, the said piston O is fitted on the upper side to the valve seat P, P Across the top of the cylinder N is the cross piece It, screwedor otherwise attached thereto, through which the piston rod passes, and acts as a guide for such piston rod.

The projection D is a part of the cap, on the under side thereof. In this is the valve seat D Fig. 4, with its dovetailed grooved sides tohold the valve E in place, and the port holes and passages F, .F, F F leading from the valve seat to the cylinder. and alarm whistle, through the caps. The said valve seat is on the side of D andrthe valve E is an ordinary sliding valve, hollow on the under side'or face, like the common valve, attached to the lower extremity of D is the fulcrum of the lever G; which lever is connected with thevalve E, by thestirrup or connecting rod H and the floatis; connected with the other arm. of the lever by the rods J, J These rods are connected .in the center by passing them through the movable coupling K and are fastened at the desired point with a set screw or in any other of the usual modes.

On the top or side of the cylinder N and at one side, is a small pulley T under which the cord or chain S, which is attached to the top of the piston rod, passes.

The alarm whistle may be of any of the common forms.

The method of operating the belt shipper by means of the chain or cord, has already been described; as well as the whole operation of the boiler feeder.

The size of the boiler feeder will depend upon the size of the boiler to which it is to be attached; but for boilers up to thirty horse power, there need be no variation. For such size, the reservoir should be about fourteen inches in length, and about five inches inside diameter, with a float of from three and a half inches to four inches in diameter. The steam cylinder should have a piston of about two inches in diameter, with a four inch movement. The port holes should be about one quarter of an inch in their horizontal length and one eighth in width and the web between them should be about three thirty seconds of an inch. The valve will work best in a dovetailed groove fitted to allow for expansion.

The advantages of this method of feeding the boiler are; certainty of performance, regularity in performance, safety, simplicity and economy.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The arrangement of the float L, cylinder N and piston O, constructed and operating as described, in combination.

2. The said float, cylinder and piston constructed and operating as described, in combination with the alarm whistle.

EDWVIN A. WOOD.

WVitnesses E. D. Woon, M. M. JONES. 

